


That's What Friends Are For

by xingdom



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, M/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, One-Sided Relationship, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-27 16:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13252440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xingdom/pseuds/xingdom
Summary: When Prompto comes out to his best friend, he doesn't expect a love confession in return. Noctis is great, but... he's not who Prompto really wants.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> My first every AO3 post! I expect this to be 3-4 chapters long because I'm awful at anything longer than that. This chapter is a little prologue-y. And it's worth noting that for this particular fic, Ignis is 8 years older than Noctis and Prompto, while Gladiolus is still only 3 years older.

When he’s eighteen, Prompto finally realizes that he’s probably bisexual. While he’s just as girl-crazy as he’s ever been, he can’t help the way his stomach flips every time he lays his eyes on a certain man. He knows he has zero chance for that crush to ever be anything more, but he feels the need to at least share his newfound sexuality with his best friend.

He feels a little nervous as he waits for Noctis to get to his apartment. Prompto doesn’t really expect his best friend to disown him or anything, but he’s afraid that things may become awkward between them. Noctis isn’t exactly known for his ability to handle unexpected situations well. Prompto anticipates an awkward silence or maybe a barrage of awkward questions. 

What he doesn’t expect is for the prince to let out a breathy laugh as he shakes his head in disbelief. Prompto’s heart drop into his stomach. Maybe Noctis isn’t okay with Prompto’s sexuality. Oh man, he messed up…

“I’m gay,” Noctis blurts out. Prompto’s eyes widen. He _can’t_ be hearing his friend right. After all, Noctis hadn’t shown any inclination towards men or women. He kinda assumed his best friend was asexual. “You just talk about girls so much… I didn’t want you to… I don’t know. Stop being my friend?”

“Um, well, um. Obviously, I’m totally down for you liking dudes. Oh, wait, that sounds weird,” Prompto stutters. “I mean, I like dicks. You like dicks. Wait, no… _What is wrong with m-_ “ He’s cut off by Noctis leaning across the couch and pressing his lips against Prompto’s. The kiss is very tentative, probably the prince’s first. And though Prompto is mostly confused, he kisses back. 

Noctis breaks the kiss so he can scoot forward and shyly rest his hands on his best friend’s waist. “Is… is this okay?” His face is flushed and his expression is a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.  
Prompto doesn’t trust his voice, so he just kind of nods. He places his left hand on the back of Noctis’s head to pull him close again and places his right hand on his back so that he can steady himself because _holy shit, he’s kissing his best friend_. Since he’s slightly more experienced, Prompto takes it upon himself to kiss Noctis a little deeper. He doesn’t dare to use his tongue; he can’t take advantage of his friend like that.

His heart falls into his stomach again. Isn’t that exactly what he’s doing right now? He pulls back and quickly retracts his hands into his lap. He couldn’t do this to his best friend… not when…

Noctis leans forward and plants a quick peck on the corner of Prompto’s lips.

…not when he doesn’t like Noctis like that.

“I really like you, Prompto… I don’t ever want to lose you.”

But Noctis apparently likes him in that way.

“Can I sleep over?”

Is it taking advantage if he does this for Noctis? After all, Prompto knows he can’t ever have who he _really_ wants. And though Noctis is usually a ball of sass, it’s just the way he hides how sad he always is He’s spent most of his life being isolated because of his royal status. Every time he made a friend, Ignis had to run a background check on that friend and his whole family. And every single time, there was a reason he had to cut off all contact. Prompto was the only person Ignis had ever cleared. And though their friendship is strong and fills Noctis with a bit of joy, whenever he’s not with Prompto, he’s alone. Not even his own father can clear his schedule enough to see him.

Noctis is just always so _sad_.

Even now, he’s looking at Prompto with sad, hopeful eyes. If Prompto were to reject him now…

“Dude, of course. Your crap is already all over my apartment,” he jokes. He could do this for his best friend. After all, they were going to college soon and Noctis was sure to meet someone there. After all, that was all part of the college experience, right?

* * *

Prompto lets his eyes closes as Noctis’s fingers card through his hair. The action is comforting, as are the sounds of Ignis moving around in the kitchen making dinner. After their first year at university, Prompto had officially moved into the prince’s apartment. No matter how much he begged, Noctis wasn’t allowed to stay in the dorms during their freshman year. While Prompto put out an open invitation for Noctis to spend the night in his dorm, Prompto’s roommate and small twin bed made it difficult for them to be comfortable. Moving in together was inevitable, especially after dating this long.

The relationship is going on much longer than Prompto planned. Not that things are bad. Noctis is surprisingly super romantic and often surprises his boyfriend with little gifts or romantic gestures. He doesn’t let a day pass without telling Prompto he loves him. Even when he’s away on royal business, he makes sure to call every day. Noctis is the perfect boyfriend.

And that just makes Prompto feel even more shitty that he _still_ hasn’t fallen in love with his best friend. He’s not lying when he returns Noctis’s declarations of love; he does love Noctis. But Prompto thinks that if he hasn’t felt romantic love at this point, he’s not going to.

But being together makes Noctis happy. The prince’s depression seems to have improved over the year they’ve been together. He’s able to get out of bed most days and when he’s having a bad day, simple things like holding hands bring a small smile to himself.

Prompto can keep this up. Even if things had recently become harder because…

Well, the whole reason he had moved into a dorm was to avoid being around Noctis’s retinue 24/7. It’s hard enough for him to try to get over the person he _really_ wanted without seeing him every fucking day. Prompto’s mind suddenly decides to remind him that Ignis and Gladio rotate buying condoms and lube for Noctis. Fuck, it’s mortifying for your crush to actively support your sex life. 

Prompto opens his eyes a bit to look up at his boyfriend. “What’s Iggy cooking?”

Noctis’s eyes linger a bit on his advisor before he glances down. “Spicy long-bone rib steak.”

Prompto quirks an eyebrow. “Uh, dude, did you forget you hate spicy food?”

“Yeah, but it’s your favorite, so.” Noctis shrugs as if it’s no big deal, which it may not be to him.

The blonde nervously chews on his bottom lip. Geez, at this rate, he’s gonna end of marrying Noct. He’s not really sure he could turn the prince if he asks. He’s way too deep into this. “You’re way too nice to me,” he mutters under his breathe.

Noctis shrugs again. “I mean, you moved in with me, and I appreciate it. I know it kinda sucks being watched all the time.” His dark eyes fall onto Ignis again. “Specs, cool it with the pepper. Do you want me die?”

“If I wished for you to die, I’d only need to leave you to your own devices for a week.” Prompto snorts.

Noctis childishly pushes Prompto’s head off his lap. “Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

Prompto sits up and kisses his boyfriend’s cheek. “You know I’m here for you. Buuut, I stay for Iggy’s burns.” He beams at the advisor who grins back at him. Ignis has always been fond of Prompto.

“Then maybe you should date _him_ then,” the prince mutters. He moves off the couch so he can make sure that Ignis isn’t making the food too spicy. Prompto rolls his eyes and reaches into his jacket pocket to play a phone game.

After about 10 minutes of Noctis and Ignis bickering as usual, the apartment’s front door lock beeps as the unlock code is entered. Noctis lets out a lazy ‘Hey, Gladio,’ while keeping his eyes on the oven door. 

Prompto tightens his grip on his phone. An invisible hand grips his heart.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto does his best to squash his feelings, not too hard considering he's sure Gladiolus hates him.
> 
> And Noctis has a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this fic was supposed to be like, 10k words, but I'm near 5,000 with no clear end in site. I have a problem.

Gladio wears a tank top and form-form fitting sweatpants, an obvious sign that Noctis had to train after his meal. Normally, this would make the young prince groan and complain, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he’s still policing his advisor. Prompto can’t control the way his eyes roam over the shield’s tattooed biceps. No matter how often he sees Gladio in this state, he can’t stop the way his heart pounds in his chest. The first time it ever happened, he assumes it’s from fear; Gladio is a large man after all. But Prompto gets that feeling every single time the shield does anything. Whether he’s training Noctis, laughing at something funny, or just silently scrolling through his phone, Prompto just _likes_ him.

“Hey, kid.” Gladio tips his head at Prompto and gives a futile attempt at shutting the prince up.

Prompto sighs and turns his attention back to his phone. Of course, he had to develop a year-long crush on someone who barely acknowledges him. To be fair, he spent a year Gladio, so it’s no surprise that they’re not very close. Maybe now that they’d be around each other more, Gladio could at least stop calling him a kid. They’d been at the same university up until the shield’s recent graduation, and Noctis didn’t get the same treatment.

An annoyed groan signals that the raven-haired prince has finally noticed Gladio’s attire. “Can we not today? Prom just moved in today.”

“The hell does the kid moving in have to do with your training?” **Ouch.** Prompto reflexively frowns at he back of Gladio’s head. He only has to flick his eyes slightly to the right see his boyfriend looking back at him. Noctis delivers a (weak) punch to Gladio’s chest, which the older man easily deflects. He grabs Noctis’s fist pushes it away. The movement has the prince stumbling almost to the ground. “And that’s why we train.” Noctis uses the hand he just attacked with to extend a middle finger. He stomps out of the kitchen and pulls Prompto off the couch and into their bedroom.

“Sorry. Gladio can be a bit of an ass. I’ll beat him up for you.” Noctis locks his door and starts picking through the piles of clothes on his floor looking for something to wear to training. He settles on a wrinkled blue t-shirt and black sweatpants.

“Preeeetty sure, he could kill you.” Out of all of them, Gladio summoned his weapon the fastest. Not only that, he was also the fastest at summoning the others’ weapons, something Prompto couldn’t do yet. To Noctis’s credit, he was the only one who could summon the others’ weapons right of their hands. “Can I come train with you? I could use some practice myself.”

After struggling to get out of his shirt, Noctis sniffs the blue shirt to make sure it’s alright. “Sure. You could watch me warp a million times.”

“I thought you practiced that yesterday with Iggy?”

Noctis sighs and pulls on his shirt. “Yeah, but Gladio says I need to learn how to warp without the marks.” Prompto nods in understanding. He absentmindedly folds Noctis’s discarded shirt and does the same with his pants. “Ready to eat? Should be about ready.”

Prompto perks up. “Hell yeah! I’m starved!” He leaps onto his feet and follows Noctis to the door. He almost trips over himself when Noctis stops and turns around before he unlocks the door. His face is solemn.

“Seriously, if Gladio’s bothering you, I can tell him to knock it off. You’re always pretty… tense around him.”

The blonde man lets out a nervous laugh. “Nah, we’re cool. I just don’t think he’s entirely convinced I’m not secretly an assassin,” he jokes.

Noctis rests his hands on Prompto’s waist to kiss him. He lingers a little longer than usual. “Promise you’ll tell me if anything is bothering you? I want you to be happy. I know you really wanted to stay in the dorms. I kinda ruined your college experience…”

Prompto smiles sadly at his best friend. “Don’t sweat it, Noct. This way we get to see each other more. I love you, okay?”

“I love you, too.” Noctis kisses him again. This time it’s deeper and Noctis pulls Prompto’s hips close so they’re flushed again his. When he opens his mouth for Noctis’s tongue, he can’t help but let out a moan. Just because Prompto wasn’t in love with his best friend, that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy sex with him. After all, he was still a teenaged boy. Whatever guilt he had at being the prince’s first was long gone after they completely learned each other’s bodies. Noctis is the one who pulls away when Prompto’s fingers start tugging at the drawstring on Noctis’s sweats. “After training, okay?” Prompto nods dumbly and tries to will his face to stop being flushed.

It does not good though because Gladio gives them a knowing smirk when they exit the bedroom. “Channel some of that eagerness into your training, will ya?” Prompto wants to melt into the floor and stop existing for a while. Noctis seems unperturbed and casually flips off Gladio again with the hand that isn’t holding Prompto’s.

Ignis’s meal is able to clear Prompto’s embarrassment. Prompto makes sure to deliver a compliment between bites, which makes Ignis bite back a smile. Meanwhile, Noctis tries to pretend that he isn’t sweating and his nose isn’t runny from the ribs’ heat. Gladio practically inhales his food and stands up to clean his plate. On his way out of the apartment, he claps a hand on Noctis’s shoulder and tells him to be at the training center in half an hour. Noctis scoffs but nods, showing his compliance. “Prom’s coming too. Open up the shooting range for him.”

Gladio raises an eyebrow but shrugs off any question he may have. “Anything for you, your highness,” he drawls in an overly sarcastic tone.

Prompto’s appetite is suddenly gone. He didn’t realize the shield disliked him so much. He lets the rib he was working on fall to the plate and wipes his fingers on a napkin. “I’m gonna go change. Don’t wanna get to full for practice.” He does his best to ignore the looks the other three are giving him when he stands and heads for the master bedroom.

“Gladio, seriously. Can you fucking lay off of him?”

_Oh, shit._ Prompto freezes in his tracks as he hears Gladio’s heavy steps approach his boyfriend. Both Noctis’s and Ignis’s chairs scrape across the floor as they shoot up, preparing for conflict. “Gladio, I suggest you-“ Prompto turns around in time to see Gladio hold a hand up in the advisor’s direction. His face is more serious than Prompto’s ever seen it, and he’s afraid for a second that there’s seriously going to be a fight.

“Training center. Fifteen minutes.” He stalks away, practically tearing the front door off the hinges as he leaves the apartment. When it slams behind him, all attention goes to Prompto. Both men take a step toward him, and Prompto quickly retreats into the bedroom, locking the door behind him.

\--

Noctis is already warping when Prompto makes it to the training center. His anger is apparent in the way that he keeps ‘accidentally’ warp-striking into Gladio’s shield instead of stopping short like he’s supposed to. They’re so distracted that Prompto’s able to sneak across the room and into the spacious shooting range. After securing his safety googles, he stretches his arms a bit while he waits for the main computer terminal to boot. After entering his password, he selects the stationary targets option for an easy warm-up. As the targets drop from the ceiling, he attempts to summon his gun into his right hand. He lets out exasperated sigh when nothing materializes. It takes him four more tries to get the handgun to appear. After a few minutes of shooting stationary targets, he changes the program to a fast pace. It’s been a while since he first picked up the gun, and he’s gotten pretty good at hitting most of his targets.

“Switch hands.”

Prompto yelps and drops the gun when he hears Gladio’s voice behind him. He turns to see the older man leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed. Behind him, he can see Noctis demolishing a training dummy. Prompto studies Gladio’s face, trying to figure out if he was there to yell at him, but his face seemed a bit more relaxed, still serious but non-threatening.

As much as Prompto wants to protest that he’s right-handed, he silently nods and picks the gun back up. His left hand trembles as he tries to aim at a target. Though the pace of the targets is a challenge for his dominant hand, it’s way too much for his unpracticed hand. He brings his right wrist under his left to steady it a bit.

“Right hand down.”

Prompto can’t help the frustrated scoff that escapes his lips, but he does as he’s told. He fires off 6 shots, but his left arm isn’t used to the recoil and he doesn’t hit a single target. Gladio laughs. It’s not mean, more amused. He easily crosses the room in a few strides and changes the program back to stationary targets.

“Fifteen minutes then meet me in the other room.” He pats Prompto on his bicep and leaves the room as quickly as he entered.

The teen realizes he was holding his breath and breathes out deeply. What could Gladio possibly want to meet him for? He extends his shaky left arm again and pulls the trigger.

\--

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Prompto’s nervously opening the door between the two rooms. Noctis is sitting on a bench in the back, his forearms resting on his thighs. He looks up, curious, when Prompto shuffles towards where Gladio’s standing.

“So, uh, what did you need me for… sir?”

Gladio laughs. The joy in his face is so genuine that it makes the butterflies flutter in Prompto’s stomach. “I’m hardly a sir to you. My name is fine.” He sounds friendly enough, but his words contrast with his actions when he summons Prompto’s gun. He swiftly unloads it and hand it over to Prompto. “Okay, arm fully extended and gun aimed at me.” Worried that this is a test, Prompto settles the gun into his left hand to follow the shield’s instructions. He jumps a bit when Gladio places both of his hands on top of Prompto’s and steps forward so the gun is pressed right as his heart. “A gun is great weapon. Lethal until about this point. But closer…” His right hand moves to cups Prompto’s shoulder and he takes a step forward so the teen can no longer extend his arm. “You’re just blindly shooting from the hip.” Prompto’s breath hitches. “So, you’re learning how to use a greatsword.” When Gladio steps completely away from him to summon his war sword, Prompto has to keep himself from moving forward to stay in close proximity. He casts a nervous glance at Noctis. The prince is still watching, but his face doesn’t show more than curiosity.

“Could we maybe start with a smaller sword?” Prompto warily eyes the war sword. He’s never done any combat practice with a sword, so just looking at the large two-handed weapon makes his arms ache.

“Nope.”

Prompto doesn’t even try bite back his whine.

\--

After 10 minutes of flailing around, Gladio finally takes his sword back and pats Prompto on the back. “You’ll get the hang of it, Prom.” _Oh hey, butterflies. Could you get out my throat?_ His thoughts are running by so fast that he doesn’t notice the Gladio call the prince back over. He finally snaps out of it when Gladio maneuvers him to stand in a particular spot and walks over to stand behind the prince.

“I’m not fighting Prom.”

Gladio ignores the glare Noctis is giving him. “I’m not asking you to. Just warp to him once and we’re done.”

Prompto’s not worried until he sees that his boyfriend looks nervous. But Noctis doesn’t hesitate to summon his weapon and drop into a stance. Prompto’s heart starts hammering his chest when Noctis grunts and throws his sword. Everything seems to move into slow motion as Prompto watches the weapon fly at him. Noctis’s figure blinks from his spot across the room and reappears right in front of Prompto, his hand catching the hilt of the sword. A grin breaks out on the prince’s face before it drops into a look of horror when he realize about an inch of the blade is pierced right below Prompto’s right collarbone. 

The blonde teen instinctively moves away from the source of the pain, but the blade somehow hurts more coming out than going in. He starts to gasp as the pain starts to bloom across the nerve-endings. He presses his hand to the wound and lets out a whimper when he feels the open wound.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck. Shit. Prom, oh fuck.” Noctis drops the sword and reaches his hand to press against the wound. Prompto hisses and recoils. Noctis is nearly in tears when the realization fully hits him of what he’s done. After what feels like hours, Gladio is frantically pushing a potion into Prompto’s hand and closes his fist around the teen’s to help him cross it. The pain immediately subsides and the wound seems to close.

Prompto is still recovering from the shock of being stabbed and barely feels as Gladio’s hand pulls his t-shirt collar down to examine the spot. The shield looks relieved when he feels the scar under his fingers and he uses that same hand to wrap around the back of Prompto’s head to pull him into a hug. He doesn’t notice the way Prompto freezes then shyly wraps his arm around him. “I’m so fucking sorry, Prom. I thought he was faking his misses. I thought…” Gladio shakes his head and claps a heavy hand on Prompto’s back. A hand tugs on his hand and Prompto frowns at the lack of warmth when his boyfriend pulls him out of the shield’s arm and into his own. As Noctis spills out a string of apologizes, Prompto watches the distressed look on Gladio’s face as he picks up the sword stained with Prompto’s blood and disappears from the training center.

\--

An hour later, Prompto’s lying shirtless on his and Noctis’s shared bed as the latter plant kisses all over his boyfriend’s chest, paying special attention to the scar he caused. He hasn’t stopped apologizing since the incident, and even know he’s begging for forgiveness he already as.

“Noct, it’s no big deal. The scar’s like, the size of my pinky.”

“Still…” Noctis lays his head on Prompto’s chest and wiggles his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “I stabbed you, and I feel bad.” The blonde teen sighs and tries to think of words to comfort his friend, but he’s not experienced in comforting someone who _did_ stab him. He’s confused when Noctis starts shifting around, but his motives are clear when Noctis is able to free a hand and pops open the button on Prompto’s jeans. _Oh._ “I think I promised we’d finish this after practice.” Noctis’s voice is husky in a way that sends Prompto’s blood running south.

Noctis is good with his hands.

* * *

Over the next few days, the couple takes a much-needed break from training. The shield seems to also be taking a break because he hasn’t been around. His absence mean that Ignis has to tail the prince more than he usually does on top of the hundred other things he does a day. Prompto makes Noctis promise not to tell Ignis about the incident, but it seems that the advisor already knows as his patience has increased a bit more. He doesn’t even scold the teens for staying out past midnight in the middle of the week. He even hangs out alone with Prompto when Noctis disappears to a meeting.

Ignis has always has a soft spot for Prompto and mothers him much like he does to Noctis. The prince doesn’t seem to keen about the affection though and always watches their interactions closely. Prompto uses his observation to pull on his best friends’ cheeks and tease Noctis of being jealous. Noctis turns red and pushes the hands away.

Four days after the incident, Gladio finally reappears. 

Noctis is in the bedroom shoving everything into the closet before Ignis comes over, while Prompto’s curled up on the couch watching a movie. He’s surprised to the older man after half a week and straightens up to get a better look at him. He’s wearing casual clothes this time, which still shows more skin than Prompto would like. Gladio’s distracted by his phone as he slowly walks into the den. He looks surprised when he sees Prompto looking up at him, but his expression quickly changes to one of concern. “Your shoulder doing okay, kid?”

Prompto huffs. He’s back to being called a kid again. Well, maybe the huffing doesn’t help. He nods and smiles at Gladio. “Yup! No pain since the potion.”

“That’s good,” Gladio speaks slowly as if he’s still trying to choose his word. “But… what are you still doing here?”

“Uh…” Prompto picks up his phone from his side and pulls up his calendar. “I didn’t think I had anything today?”

“No, I meant, what are you doing _here_ ,” he generally motions around the room. “I thought you would have moved out by now.”

“W-what?” Prompto stutters out. “Why would I…?”

Gladio lets out a low growl and shakes his head. “The little shit. **Noctis**.” Prompto jumps as the shield bellows the prince’s name. He stands up when Noctis comes into the room looking just as confused as he is. “Why is the kid still here.” Noctis opens his mouth to defend his boyfriend, but Gladio cuts him off again. “You haven’t told him, have you?” Noctis turns white and Prompto feels even more confused and scared.

“Noct… what’s going on?” Prompto looks to his boyfriend to clear the situation. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Noctis look so torn and sad.

“Prompto, I…” Noctis curls both his hands into fists. “I’m engaged.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos greatly appreciated :) Tell me how I'm doing.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, I've feeling a little nervous about posting this. I've been obsessed with this fandom lately, and I felt super compelled to write. The works in this fandom are super amazing, so I feel a little intimidated. Please let me know what you think :)


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